Xavier Grimble never worked past Jesse James on the depth chart despite having better physical traits as a receiving tight end when it came to speed and ball skills while in space.
The Steelers did draft Zach Gentry to add to tight end depth, but Grimble still has time to solidify a spot as the No. 2 tight end on the team. That will require a finer detail on his game to improve the smaller aspects so that his athleticism can shine.
Let's break that down:
First let's look at the merits Grimble brings to the team. He's been with the team for three years and has flashed good ball skills that show potential to be a real receiving threat. But in three years those flashes have only resulted with his best season being 2016 when he caught 11 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Here's some of that flash when he caught a 13-yard pass in the middle of the defense from Ben Roethlisberger. Watch how he works past the linebackers, finds his spot between their zone assignments and adjusts to a throw that's low and away.
Nothing spectacular, but it gets the job done from a player no defense is going to focus on with the other threats the Steelers have:
Grimble has made a handful of plays in his three years with the team, but hasn't gotten more time because of inconsistency. Everyone remembers Grimble's huge fumble against the Broncos when he took a pass from Roethlisberger only to lose the ball right before he could reach the end zone.
That play is a representation of what's wrong with his work reputation. He can go through the motions and sometimes make a big play when things work out, but often he doesn't follow through with fundamentals to finish a play.
Not finishing is a way to make Mike Tomlin unhappy and get fewer opportunities. Grimble has that problem especially as a blocker. Sometimes he can blow a defender up, but if the opponent is ready and more sound in his own fundamentals, Grimble can lose the matchup.
Watch how he gets blown out of his block in this run by James Conner. Grimble pulls down the line for what's called a "wham" block. The point of Grimble's wham is to build momentum and blow up the isolated linebacker from breaking through the line. He tries that against Vontaze Burfict and fails.
Watch how he quickly gets to his spot, but right at the point of impact he gets high in his stance and plants his feet. Doing so he loses all leverage and Burfict is able to blow him out of the gap. The proper technique would've been to get lower in his approach to Burfict and keep chopping the feet to continue his momentum through the block so he could at least hold the spot from Burfict:
The Steelers appreciate tight ends who can catch and run, but blocking is equally important. The latter will be even more important in 2019 when Randy Fichtner tries to balance the office with a more balanced attack by running the ball more frequently.
Grimble has to show the Steelers he has improved in the smaller aspects of his game so they can rely on him more regularly. If he doesn't polish his game, the Steelers may seek outside help at tight end by bringing a cheap free agent into camp that could challenge Grimble for the No. 2 spot.
And if Grimble loses such a battle, the team may feel comfortable living with Gentry as the third tight end option that they work to develop for the next few years and cut Grimble. It's his job to lose, but he's going to have to prove he's better than he has been.
MORE CARTER’S CLASSROOM:
June 13: Count on Mike Hilton
June 12: Eli Rogers fights for job
June 11: Don’t forget Cameron Sutton
June 10: James Conner’s zone vision
June 7: How good can Bud Dupree be?
